Vietnam will need US$11 million to clear spots polluted with persistent organic pollutants used to grow plants, a senior official said at a conference initiating the project Monday.

Bui Cach Tuyen, head of the Environment Department at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said the project will be carried out over four years. The polluted areas have been located, and the concentration of the chemicals, known briefly as POP, already estimated.

The money will also be used to stop such chemicals from being smuggled into Vietnam, Tuyen said.

The department has spotted 1,153 areas in Vietnam polluted with plant protection chemicals, including POP. Some of the areas are now schools, houses, local government offices.